The newly founded Dark Outlaw Games, created by a former Call of Duty dev and backed by PlayStation, is working on its debut title using generative AI from the start. The team is actively recruiting creators with experience in tools like Midjourney and ChatGPT.

Generative AI is gaining ground in gaming just as fast as it’s attracting criticism, and one of the boldest new examples comes from Dark Outlaw Games — a fresh PlayStation-backed studio led by Jason Blundell, known for his work on the Zombies mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops. While we don’t yet know what their first game will be, a job listing posted by Sony offers a major clue: AI won’t just support development — it’ll shape it.

As seen on Sony’s career site (via The Game Post), the studio is hiring a senior concept artist with expertise in illustration, 3D modeling, character and graphic design — but one requirement stands out: “advanced experience” using generative AI tools like Stable Diffusion, Midjourney, and ChatGPT.

AI’s Rise in Game Development Sparks Growing Concern

This move reflects a larger trend in the industry. According to the 2025 GDC survey, many studios are implementing generative AI despite growing pushback from employees who fear for their job security. Concerns around ethics and labor rights are intensifying, especially among artists and writers — groups hit hardest by recent layoffs linked to AI adoption.

Hermen Hulst, former head of PlayStation Studios, warned about this dichotomy in a late 2024 BBC interview, saying that the future of gaming would be about “balancing AI-powered design with content that retains the human touch.” Sony has reportedly experimented with AI before — notably by testing an interactive chatbot version of Aloy, the Horizon Zero Dawn protagonist — an idea that sparked outrage from her voice actress, Ashly Burch.

While Dark Outlaw Games hasn’t revealed any details about its debut title, the decision to build with AI from the ground up shows PlayStation’s readiness to explore unconventional paths. And in a divided industry, this direction has already started to stir controversy among players.

Source: 3djuegos